Quick Heal shows 101 uses of gadgets without anti-virus

The campaign aims to inscribe the humour quotient in the term 'anti-virus'.

The term "anti-virus" doesn't have anything to do with humour. But, a recent campaign by internet security solutions firm Quick Heal Technologies, along with its digital agency CogMat, hopes to change the notion by getting the humour quotient in the term 'anti-virus'.

Titled '101 Uses of Gadgets without Quick Heal', the campaign is slated to run for a period of five weeks. Through the campaign, Quick Heal looks to reinforce the idea that IT security is not optional, but a necessity in today's connected age.

The core of the campaign is a series of 30-second YouTube videos that bring home the message through infusion of humour and unpredictability. It is supported by a dedicated Facebook page, Twitter handle and a special Microsite that contains contests, offers and more. The crucial videos that form the basis of the campaign are broadcast on Quick Heal's official YouTube channel. Already in Week 2, the campaign has been largely successful, garnering about 770 Twitter followers (https://twitter.com/101useofgadgets) and 26,540 Facebook fans (https://www.facebook.com/101useofgadgets) in the first week.

Over the course of the campaign, Quick Heal plans to give audiences 101 ways (hilarious or otherwise) to put their useless gadgets to good use. The uses will be showcased through videos, memes, infographics, user-generated content via images/videos, contests and blog posts.

Speaking on the idea behind opting for digital and a humour-based campaign, Sanjay Katkar, CTO and technical director, Quick Heal Technologies, says, "101 Campaign is an attempt on our part to take digital marketing seriously and to reach out as we see a lot of potential in it. The digital world is more empowering, friendly, social - and it happens in real time. This was an amazing way to add the human element in the best possible way to our marketing efforts. And there is no better way than conveying our message in a lighter vein."

The campaign kicked off on June 3 with the release of the first video and a supporting hashtag contest on Twitter. The first week's hashtag, #ADayWithoutInternet, garnered more than 6 million impressions over a three-day period, with over 5,200 tweets received. #ADayWithoutInternet trended at No. 1 in India and at No. 4 globally. The trending continued for over 24 hours, in many places over the reining IPL fracas.

The brand's Facebook page got about 12,000 fans in the first week of launch and has been getting a good response for the memes, infographs and virus of the week updates as part of the communication strategy for 101 uses of gadgets.

The brand has also been running a picture/video contest on its microsite (www.101usesofgadgets.com), supported by memes for inspiration. The contest has garnered a favourable response, with users uploading their own uses of useless gadgets.